A VALIANT EFFORT

When the Potter-Dix Lady Coyotes entered the Class D2 state championships at Lincoln East High School, the squad knew there was going to be a fight on the court to advance to the semi-finals.

There indeed was a fight, and although Potter-Dix put up an extremely valiant effort against the No. 3 seed Sandhills-Thedford Thursday night in Lincoln, the season came to a close for the Lady Coyotes as they fell 3-0 (19-25, 22-25, 17-25) in the first round.

The trip to Lincoln came after a stellar year for Potter-Dix; the Lady Coyotes inked a 27-3 record in the regular season and won the D2-11 district championship.

The squad, under the direction of head coach Sarah Dvorak and assistant coach Julie Bules, also bested the national average across every statistical record in the game.

Dvorak is in her second year coaching at Potter-Dix. After the game with Sandhills, she said she was proud of how her team achieved its goals – and how her upperclassmen performed all year.

"We had a great season and my girls gave it their all," Dvorak said tearfully, surrounded by her team, family and friends. "I'm so proud of the way they accomplished their goal and got to state. I also have to give a lot of credit to our two seniors. Regyn (Hicks) has been a big part of the team and has been a four-year starter and is our best all-around player. Anna (McLaughlin) came in as a transfer student and has really stepped up in terms of her game."

McLaughlin's performance was notable in the past three weeks, according to Dvorak, for the fact that she shifted between both the back and front row. It was a new experience for the 5-foot, 10-inch right-side hitter.

"We had her playing all around and I am proud of her for doing as well as she did, given the short time she had to learn how to do that," Dvorak said.

Bules also added her thoughts on the season.

"I think the season overall was great and the girls performed at their best," Bules said. "I think we went a long way toward getting better throughout the year.

"We have strong hitters, our coverage was great and our serves were great. As a team we just fell short tonight. You have to hand it to the Sandhills team, though, because they are very strong. We kept up with them at the beginning of each match but just fell a little short."

One of the biggest pieces of the Sandhills puzzle this season has been battling the twin-sister duo of Madison and Avery Taylor, who each stand at 6-foot, 1-inch tall and have been the blocking power behind the Lady Knights' 32-0 regular season showing.

Bules added that the Taylor twins, despite their skill at the net, were not a huge factor in the loss.

"Honestly, I don't think the two of them were an issue in the games," Bules added. "I think they had quicker setting opportunities, which were a little harder for our team to read. Those turned into points after they went through our blocks each time."

Rozelle's brilliance

The Lady Coyotes came out strong in the first set, only falling to Sandhills, 25-19, in the final eight serves. An especially brilliant performance for Potter-Dix came from junior Alexus Rozelle, who put up four of her match-leading 12 kills in the set.

Rozelle, a standout player for the Lady Coyotes, also led with three blocks and 20 digs.

The second set was, by far, the best performance of the Lady Coyotes in the entire match. Potter-Dix was able to go up 3-0 and eventually 5-1, before the Lady Knights coaching staff called a time out. Something in the Sandhills game plan changed and the Lady Knights surged forward for the win.

Ultimately, the third and decisive set was a showcase of the Taylor twins – along with younger sister, freshman Marlee Taylor – earning Sandhills the 25-17 win over Potter-Dix.

By the numbers

When it came to scoring, Rozelle was the biggest weapon in Dvorak's arsenal; the junior put up 12 kills at the net on 22 attempts. Of Rozelle's three blocks, two were unassisted and she managed 6.7 digs per set.

Junior Dawson Sharman also added two digs of her own and led her team with three aces. She also led with 17 receptions.

By far, the engine that made the Lady Coyotes steamroller roll was setter Lanie Thies; the junior completed 25 setting opportunities, all while adding three digs and a kill.

Other scorers for Potter Dix were Sharman (5), Hicks (4), McLaughlin (3) and Audrey Juelfs (2). Hicks and McLaughlin each added an ace.

The final word

Playing in the last game of their high school volleyball career, Hicks and McLaughlin were emotional after the game when they described the season, the trip to state and their friendship.

"Playing with all these girls, all season, has been amazing," McLaughlin said. "We came together when we needed to and we never thought we would come as far as we did."

Hicks echoed McLaughlin – and added her thoughts on the loss to Sandhills.

"We've had an amazing season and it was such a privilege to play with all of them," Hicks said. "We all became family this year. The hard thing about tonight is that we forgot to have fun, which is something we have done all season.

"We played serious instead of fun. Saying that sounds like the opposite of what should work, but we didn't talk or laugh enough."

Thies, a junior, and one of the players who will take the reins for the Lady Coyotes next season, said love, beyond volleyball, is what made the 2015 team special.

"(Regyn and Anna) are my best friends and I love them more than anything," Thies said. "I think that is what made us as good of a team as we were. Beside just my love for these two, we all loved each other as a team. That made it special."

Potter-Dix ends the season at 27-4 overall.

Potter-Dix Lady Coyotes 2015 season recap

Morrill 3-0 W

Minatare 3-0 W

Kimball 1-2 L

Mitchell 2-1 W

Caliche, Colo. 3-0 W

Burns, Wyo. 3-0 W

Wauneta 2-1 W

Paxton 1-2 L

Morrill 2-0 W

Crawford 2-0 W

Pine Bluffs, Wyo. 2-0 W

Bayard 2-0 W

South Platte 2-0 W

Creek Valley 3-0 W

Kimball 2-1 W

Bayard 2-0 W

Stapleton 2-0 W

Paxton 2-0 W

Garden County 2-0 W

Wallace 2-0 W

Bayard 2-0 W

Leyton 2-0 W

Minatare 2-0 W

Banner County 2-0 W

Leyton 1-2 L

Creek Valley 3-0 W

South Platte 3-0 W

Banner County 3-0 W

South Platte 3-0 W

Post-season games

Crawford 3-1 W

Sandhills 0-3 L